Canada’s National Weather Service said dangerously “hot and dry” conditions were expected to continue through late July in the Lower Mainland.

While showers are likely for the night of Monday, July 24 through Tuesday, the rest of the month is likely to see hot temperatures and no other chance of rain.

The dry conditions have worsened for several months, with significantly lower rainfall recorded starting in May. This year, the average rainfall recorded at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is 16.1 cm, 25% below average (just under 65 cm), said Environmental Canada meteorologist Johnson Zhong explain.

June also saw significantly less rainfall, with only 19.9 cm recorded at YVR, 37% of the seasonal average (53.8 cm) for the month.

This month, rainfall of only 0.1 to 0.2 cm has been recorded at the airport. Mr Zhong said that although this month was “usually dry”, it was significantly lower than the average (35.8 cm) seen at the airport.

A long-term look at the Metro Vancouver weather forecast

While there’s not much confidence in how hot August will be, Environment Canada expects “normal” rainfall this month. However, the month is usually dry with an average rainfall of 36.7 cm.

Currently, there is a 50 to 60 percent chance that August will be warmer than average.

The full fall forecast won’t be released until September 1, but the current three-month forecast suggests September will be warmer than usual, with 70 to 80% confidence. There is also a 40 to 50 percent chance that the weather will be drier than usual, Zhong noted.

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced that El Niño has appearednote how its impact will gradually increase in the coming months.

In Metro Vancouver, the effects of weather phenomena usually don’t appear until winter. Winter El Niños are typically “warmer and drier” in the Lower Mainland.

As of 2020, the planet is in the cold (La Niña) phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern.